Operation Dragoon to the Battle of the Colmar Pocket

Tag Archives: Anzio

This book, by CDR Victor “Tory” Failmezger, is the story of a young Lieutenant, Thomas Peter Welch, in the 601st Tank Destroyer Battalion during World War II. The story of the 601st TD BN is told in Tommy’s more than 150 letters from the front and the unpublished memoirs and diaries of the men who were there. The book follows the Battalion from stateside training to North Africa, the withdrawal at the Kasserine Pass, and on to victory over Rommel at El Guetter. The Battalion was part of the invasion of Italy at Salerno and crossed the Volturno on the road to Cassino. Landing at Anzio, they became trapped on the beachhead for four months until the breakout and the liberation of Rome. They were first ashore for the “Forgotten D-Day” in Southern France and were there for the resultant battles against winter and the SS in the Vosges Mountains, and smashing the Colmar Pocket. At the end, they crossed the Siegfried Line and raced across Germany to Hitler’s Eagle Nest.

“An American Knight” contains period maps and hundreds of illustrations, many from private collections and never before published. It is 480 pages, with hundreds of footnotes, 12 appendices and a twenty-plus page bibliography. For more details and ordering information, see the website.

Dave’s Blog: We're not lost, Sergeant, We're in ... France

100 years ago, Thaddeus Stephenson Allen answered his country’s call and enlisted in the Marine Corps. T.S. Allen soaked up history as a young man, reading stories of Lexington and Bunker Hill, Valley Forge, Lundy’s Lane, Chapultepec. These seemed to me like those stories which begin, “There were giants in those days.” Still, they gave […]

The next Military Classics Seminar (18 April 2017) will feature a review of William Philpott’s Three Armies on the Somme: The First Battle of the Twentieth Century, by David Silbey, Professor and Associate Director at Cornell University in Washington. You have 8 days to read it! If you’ve not attended the seminars before, you’re truly […]

During the reunion for the 71st anniversary of the Battle of Iwo Jima, I had the chance to meet Norman L. Baker. Norm served in the Sea Bees (Naval Construction Battalions) during World War II, but Norm wasn’t a skilled laborer like most of the men in the Sea Bees. He was just a young […]

In France, it is already the 24th of May 2016, and the 40th anniversary of the Judgement of Paris. Why do I care about this? Well, not only do I love wine, but I love a good story. In 1976, wine shop owner Steven Spurrier hosted a wine tasting that pitted California wines against fine […]

There’s been a big change for the Dragoon/Colmar event this week. On Friday morning, we’ll be attending the Spirit of America show at George Mason University instead of conducting the third historical seminar session. That third session will now occur from 2-6pm that day. 18 Sept: 9 AM to 1:30 PM Spirit of American show […]

Commemoration CountdownJuly 30th, 2014

From St. Tropez to Colmar: Operation Dragoon to the Battle of the Colmar Pocket